Almost Good
by Naureen97
Summary: "He cursed her in his mind for being so bloody stupid. He felt like going up to her and shaking her himself. He almost did. Almost. Why didn't she cry already! Why didn't she relieve him of doing this so he could go back to his dorm and pretend for a few bloody hours that this wasn't happening. That his world did not become even more demented than it already was." Set during DH.
1. Chapter 1

**I've been wanting write a Druna story for a while now. This story takes place during Deathly Hallows when Luna is taken to the Malfoy Manor.**

* * *

Draco stood in the middle of the Great Hall a few feet besides Amycus Carrow. He knew what was coming though he tried not to think about it; his hand was shaking slightly, not enough for others to notice, but enough for him to get agitated.

He saw Filch before he saw the girl. He was dragging her by the hair, pulling her like she was a piece of luggage and nothing more. Carrow had his wand pointed towards him, using the _Imperius Curse _no doubt. "Leave now," Carrow commanded. Filch obliged, not that he had much of a choice. Draco almost pitied him. _Almost. _

He glanced back at the girl to get a better glimpse and he almost froze. Again _almost_. He knew her, or at-least he knew _of _her. She was always hanging out with that git Potter and his cronies. It was Loony freakin' Lovegood. The girl was infamous for making up imaginary creatures and wearing odd jewelry. She was the laughingstock for many of the Slytherin girls Draco often overheard. Her hair was a mess, probably from being dragged around the castle by a deranged squib. Her cloak was ripped showing her bare arms that were bruised purple. What did she do anyway? Tell Carrow his head was infested with nargles?

"Draco," Carrow acknowledged him, "Are you ready?" he asked.

Draco took a breath. And another one. She looked up at him, daring. He gave a slight askance to Carrow on his left and slowly lifted his wand. She didn't flinch. She was on her knees, her hand rested on the cold floor. He knew Carrow was staring at him, to look for a moment of weakness. Draco was being tested. He pointed his wand at her, his hand was steady but his mind wasn't. Why was he even here? Why did it have to be him?

Carrow cleared his throat, seemingly irritated. Draco took another deep breath before muttering, _Crucio. _Red light bounced from his wand to her. She fell back, her eyes closed and her head lolled a little to the side. But she didn't flinch.

"You have to mean it," Carrow said from beside him, "It's a curse meant to _torture _not maim." It seemed like he had walked closer to Draco while talking, which unnerved him more than he cared to admit. Lovegood's eyes opened slowly and she turned her head a little to glance at them both. Her eyes were more bold than fearful, it irritated him. Didn't she know it wouldn't stop until Carrow saw her sob and whimper?

"Again!" Carrow said in that low voice of his. Draco might as well be under the _Imperius _because he complied yet again.

"_Crucio,"_ he said. She fell back again, this time she let out a soft moan. Nothing else. The same reaction as before. He cursed her in his mind for being so bloody stupid. He felt like going up to her and shaking her himself. He almost did. Almost. Why didn't she cry already?! Why didn't she relieve him of doing this so he could go back to his dorm and pretend for a few bloody hours that this wasn't happening. That his world did not become even more demented than it already was.

"You've still got a lot to learn," Carrow said. Draco hated him. He hated them all. Another red light fell towards the girl, but not from him. Carrow cast a silent _Cruciatus _curse. He watched as her body flew up and slammed down with a thud. She gave a soft cry; she was shaking now. "You see how it's done?"

Draco felt a deep revulsion towards the man standing beside him. He said nothing. He kept watching as the body of the girl lying in front of him shook violently. Another red light sparked from Carrow's wand and this time she screamed. Her scream was so loud he almost covered his ears, _almost. _She was sobbing now, sobbing and shaking and whimpering. Draco almost felt relieved, _almost. _

"I must go now," Carrow told him, "Watch the witch." He started off. He's just going to leave her? What did he mean, watch the witch? He had no intention of staying with her. He had no intention of ever meeting her again.

"What am I supposed to do with her?" he asked.

Carrow looked surprised, "Why, didn't your father tell you? You're taking her home."

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**A/N- ****the next chapter will be longer. I hope you liked it! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: (forgot to put one up in the last chapter) The characters belong to the one and only J.K Rowling. I'm just borrowing.**

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Draco stood there for a few precious seconds, staring blankly at the unconscious girl before him until he processed Carrow's words. He was to take her home. He inwardly sighed. Draco was supposed to go home in an hour or so; the Headmaster had declared an early Christmas break for those who were allowed to leave school grounds. In other words, only purebloods were to leave unless they chose otherwise. He carried his portkey with him, a small shoe that had belonged to him when he was a child. He took it out now from his robe pocket and clutched it in his left hand; he still held his wand with his right.

He sat down a few feet away from the girl but kept his eyes trained on her. He wondered again why they had chosen _her _out of everyone. Surely if they wanted to get close to Potter they would have hauled in the Weasley girl. He counted off the minutes in his head, wanting to get rid of her as soon as possible. He didn't know what the others had in mind for her but he didn't care to find out. They were in a war. What did another tortured soul matter anyway?

* * *

He was transported to the Malfoy Manor by the portkey. He had had to drag the still unconscious girl with him. He landed inside their drawing room and was greeted by the only other person he had hated more than the Dark Lord himself. His aunty Bellatrix. He mentally cursed, he hadn't expected her to be there. And then he cursed himself again, where else would she be? It's not like she's got anywhere else to go. That particular thought daunted him even further.

"Draco, my boy!" she shrieked in her high, raspy voice, like she was delighted he had finally decided to show up. She gave his shoulder a rough squeeze before turning her gaze onto the girl. "Oh, right, the _Quibbler_ girl," she said. So that's why they wanted her, she was the daughter of the _Quibbler's_ editor. He had heard some people mention back in school that that was the only magazine not corrupted by death eaters. Lovegood was coming back to her senses; she slowly opened her eyes and tried to sit upright only to have Bellatrix kick her down once more. Draco almost said something. Almost.

Bellatrix spoke again, this time to one of the empty headed death eaters standing guard by the door. Draco didn't quite remember his name; he didn't care anyway. "Take her to the cellar," she commanded. She didn't look to see if he complied or not, she turned back to Draco. "Come now, Draco. Your mother's waiting." He almost glanced back while he walked away. Almost.

* * *

Luna was barely conscious when the man forced her on her feet. She let out a soft moan but said nothing. Her whole body hurt. The man pushed her towards a wooden doorway in the corner, she was dizzy but she didn't fall. The doorway opened to a flight of steep stone stairs. It was freezing cold; she shivered and crumbled her feet. The man nudged her again and she slowly started descending, her feet had already gone numb.

Down the stairs were steel bars that led to what looked like a jail cell. The man opened the locked door and shoved her inside; she landed on her back. The floor was made of stone as well and she was shivering more violently. She glanced at the man who was locking the door again. He didn't seem older than twenty and already he looked like a monster from a horror book. He was big, he had huge eyes and when he found her staring, he grinned. His front teeth were all missing. Luna looked away.

Ever since she was a little girl, Luna had never been scared for herself. When she saw her mother die, she feared not for herself but for her father who had just lost the person he had promised to spend his entire life with. When the girls at Hogwarts were being mean, she wasn't scared of what they'd do to her because she knew it wouldn't matter in the long run. When she was fighting alongside the DA members at the Ministry of Magic, she wasn't frightened for herself; she was scared of what might have happened to the others, her friends. Now, looking around herself she felt an unfamiliar jolt of fear. She wasn't going to die here; she could hear her mother in her mind telling her to always keep going. _You can't go back _she was telling her _so you have to go on. _

_I'm not scared _she repeated to herself. _I'm not scared. I'm not scared._

* * *

The Malfoy Manor, his house, now seemed as though it was a lounge for death eaters. He was just in his mother's room. She was scared, he knew. She didn't have to tell him. She never wanted to be a part of this; it was a miracle she even stuck with his father through the last few months. That was an act too, he knew. She didn't stick around because of Lucius but because of him. He almost told her not to, he almost told her to go somewhere else. Almost. But he couldn't. He was selfish and he couldn't let go of the only other person he cared about.

Draco cursed his life once again as he paced in his bedroom. Soon enough, his father will call him down to have dinner with all the others. He hated pretending he was one of _them. _He wasn't. They were lunatics, all of them. His aunt, his father, they were all mad. He was no better either but at-least he knew that. He knew he was deranged; _they _had no idea. He thought of leaving sometimes, of running away from these nightmares. He almost did. Almost. But he caught himself, started making excuses. Telling himself he couldn't leave his mother behind. Telling himself he didn't have anywhere else to go or anyone else to go to. That's all they were though, excuses, because he didn't want to face the truth. He was scared; terrified of what would happen if he ever got caught. So he went along with everything. It was safer that way; better even. He almost convinced himself. Almost.

During dinner, his aunt called him over. He had an unsettled feeling even as she started to speak, "I'm putting you on prisoners' duty," she said.

Prisoners' duty? Draco had a vague idea on what that meant; he had to keep the prisoners in check. Which would also mean Lovegood wasn't the only one caged in their cellar. A lounge for death eaters wasn't enough? They also had to turn his house into a prison? "Why me?" he spoke at last, "Why can't the rat do it?" He asked, meaning Wormtail.

Bellatrix threw him her glare for the rare times someone decided to argue with her. "Pettigrew is doing errands for the Dark Lord," she said in her shrill voice. Draco sucked in a breath as she came closer; she was intimidating, but Draco made sure to hold a blank expression. He clenched his fists to keep himself from doing something rash. She pointed to a steel tray filled with spoiled food and told him to take it down to the cellar. "Make sure to bring the tray back," she flashed him a smile showing all her yellowed teeth. He let out a small breath as she walked away.

Draco grabbed the tray and made his way down to the wooden door that led downstairs. The tray only contained two rotten apples and three pieces of stale bread and a jug of water. He wondered who else was down there; he doubted the food would be enough to sustain even one person. He held his wand tightly as he stepped through the last set of stairs. It was cold down here; he shuddered slightly even though he was wearing a heavy robe. A steel barricade greeted him taking him by surprise. They must have just added the steel bars fairly recently because they weren't there before.

He muttered _Lumos _and his wand conjured a bright orange light. He saw Lovegood right away. She was sitting crouched down with her head in between her knees. On the corner he saw another figure; looking closely he found it was Ollivander. Why the hell was Ollivander the Wandmaker imprisoned in his home? There was a smaller silhouette in the very back; he couldn't see who it was and he didn't care enough to find out. Lovegood looked up at him; she looked worse than she did a few hours ago when he brought her here. She kept staring; it seemed like she was curious as to why he was here. Draco slid the tray down under the bars towards her and she glanced down towards the sad compilation of food for three people. Draco swallowed his guilt and had every intention of turning around and leaving when he remembered Bellatrix telling him to bring the tray back.

Lovegood now tilted her head a little to the side with a questioning look most likely wondering why he still stood there. Draco inwardly sighed; he has been doing that quite a lot lately. "I need the tray back," he finally said. She nodded like she understood him. Draco watched as she slowly got up, wincing in pain, and picked up the tray. She didn't say a single word to him as she trotted over to Ollivander.

"Mr. Ollivander?" she asked. She handed him a piece of bread and one of the apples. That was the first time Draco had heard her voice during this entire affair. He was surprised by how steady her voice sounded; the girl was strong, he had to admit. Now she walked to the back to where the other person was. "Here Griphook," she said. Griphook? Great. The last prisoner in his house's cellar was Griphook the Goblin. He was almost surprised at how screwed up this was. Almost. The girl handed him a piece of bread too and the last apple. Draco noticed she took the smallest piece for herself. Typical, he thought. What? Did she want to starve herself to death?

She now walked back towards him. She put the water jug on the floor and slid the tray back. She crouched down back to where she was sitting when he came in, with her back to the wall. Draco picked up the tray. He gave them one last look before turning away. He almost said sorry before leaving. Almost.

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**A/N:** **any thoughts? Hope you liked it! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Discalimer: The characters belong to the one and only Jo Rowling. I'm just borrowing.**

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It's only been two days since Draco came back from Hogwarts and he was already accustomed to the tortured screams that made their way down to his bedroom from the Dining room. Bellatrix enjoyed torturing others; she did so at the slightest provocation. The _Cruciatus _cursewas her very favorite. Lucius enjoys it too, having that much power over others. It was getting harder and harder to look them in the eye and pretend he didn't hate them. It came as no surprise to him when a scream rung its way to his room mid-afternoon; he tried to tune it out without success. The same voice screamed again and this time Draco recognized it. Lovegood. What the hell could she have possibly done?

Against his better judgment, he went down to the dining room. The weather was dull and little to no lights came through the various windows as he made his way down the stairs. Usually, everyone just let the younger Malfoy to do what he pleased; that was the same case this time because no one tried to stop him as he neared them. He immediately saw the pair; his aunt was looming over a nearly unconscious Lovegood. There were two men at the doors; neither of them said anything as he continued nearing his aunt. She had her wand pointed towards her, muttering under her breath. Lovegood lay on the floor like a rag doll with her eyes pinched shut. He felt bad for her, she didn't deserve this. Why was she even being tortured? It's not like her father would be printing any more news after his daughter was abducted.

Bellatrix noticed her nephew within a few seconds, "Draco, my dear boy, here to watch the show?"

Draco had had a lot of practice keeping a blank face; it was useful for times like this. "Why is she here?" he asked, keeping his voice calm.

"She's one of Potter's little friends, isn't she Draco?" She asked with a crazed look. Draco slightly nodded his head and Bellatrix smiled, her eyes gleaming. "She might have a clue to where he's hiding then," she said. She now crouched down to where Lovegood was, trailing her wand over her face. Lovegood was breathing heavily, her eyes still closed. "Tell me, you filthy blood traitor," she hissed, "Where's your friend?" When she didn't reply, another red light shot out of her wand towards the girl. Her body shook and she let out a small whimper; it seemed like she didn't have enough energy to shout.

Draco almost turned around and left. Almost. After all, he didn't care what would happen to her. He had seen his aunt kill before, granted none of them were people he knew much less went to school with. But he didn't leave, instead he decided to do the girl a small favor. "I don't think she knows anything about Potter's plans," he said.

Bellatrix looked over to him, both her eyebrows raised, "And why do you say that?"

"She's not all that important to Potter," he replied, "just a pet he likes keeping around. Either way, he always has Weasley and the Mudblood to keep him company. You should bring them in," he suggested. He knew it was a weak suggestion; he knew them enough to assume they were most likely with Potter on his little _quest_ to defeat the Dark Lord.

"That's not possible, is it?" Bellatrix shrieked, "They're off with Potter. Don't worry though, we'll find them. We'll find them all." She stood up from where she was crouched over Lovegood, "What do we do with you, now? What indeed," she kicked her leg a little to the left. They both stood there for a few seconds, towering over the girl when one of her death eater guard dogs came in.

"Ma'am, Greyback is here," he said. It was the same man Draco had seen that first day he had returned from Hogwarts.

"Oh, yes, tell him to wait," she said, dismissing him. She looked towards Draco now, a smile playing on her lips, "Take her back now, will you Draco? Play with her if you like, just make sure she is put back in the cellar," she gave him a knowing look and Draco bit back his disgust while she handed the keys over.

Draco took his wand out, deciding on his next move. No one else was in the room; Bellatrix took the two guards with her. Draco cursed himself for what he was about to do, and he almost started talking himself out of it. Almost.

He now crouched down to the same place Bellatrix was, trying to see all the damage she had caused. Lovegood's eyes were shut tight but he could feel her tense as he came closer. Her arms and legs were bruised purple, some of it was from before she was brought here, but he could locate some of the newer injuries as well. He took a small breath before muttering a healing spell over her body. He didn't know whether it had worked until she sighed and opened her eyes. She had the same questioning look in her eyes as she had the first day he brought down the food downstairs. She looked at him curiously like he was a piece in a jigsaw puzzle.

"Can you get up?" he asked; his voice came out as a bit harsh though he hadn't meant for it too. She gave a small nod and came to a sitting position. Draco stood up himself, watching her slowly pull one leg up and then the other. He almost went to help. Almost.

She stared at him after she was in the standing position, waiting for him to say something. He gestured towards the door that led to her prison; he felt her stiffen but she complied and started walking. He followed her; he let her take her time as she slowly approached the door. She stopped in front of it, Draco wondered why; did she not want to go back? Of course she didn't want to go back! It's freezing cold and the only light she sees is when he brings the food tray down twice a day. "It's locked," she said softly.

Draco was taken aback for a few seconds after hearing her voice; he hadn't heard her speak since that first day in the cellar. And even then it wasn't to him. "Oh, right," he said. He put the key Bellatrix left him in a pocket in his robe. He took it out and squirmed around Lovegood to unlock the door. He was now standing in-front of her but he kept his side eye trained on the girl in case she decided to be stupid and run. She wouldn't be able to go far, especially not wandless and in that condition in a house full of dark wizards. Fortunately, she didn't; she stood there waiting for him to open the door. She looked surprisingly calm; he wondered if she had some kind of plan. She wasn't supposed to look so calm; she had just been tortured endlessly by a lunatic. Even the best of wizards were driven to insanity, the Longbottoms were proof enough.

The door propped open and he gestured for her to go first. She took small steps and cringed every once in a while. Draco remembered she wasn't wearing any shoes, it was cold enough as it was. Draco looked down at his own comfortable, skin shoes and felt another jolt of unusual sympathy. Once they reached the bottom, they were greeted by the familiar barricade of steel bars. He went forward to where the iron lock was when he realized Bellatrix had only given him one key. "It works for both locks," Luna said. She was right, the door unlocked with the same key. Draco gave her a quick glance; he decided not to ask her how she knew.

She went inside without him telling her to. She sat down in the same spot he saw her that first day, leaning against the wall. She was taking deep breaths; Draco stood there for a few moments with the door opened. Maybe he expected her to try to attack him and exit through the door; maybe he expected the other two prisoners to. They didn't. He could vaguely make out the silhouettes of Ollivander and Griphook in the very back, sitting side by side. He looked back at Luna, she was watching him now. He turned away, closing the door behind him. He almost spoke to her. Almost.

He was about to ascend the stairs when her voice stopped him. "Draco?" she said. He snapped his head back; her saying his name shocked him. Especially her using his given name instead of his surname; not Malfoy but Draco. He stared at her now, waiting. She stared back levelly. The girl took another deep breath before saying, "Thank you."

Draco felt like a giant weight dropped on his chest. She was thanking him? Why the hell was this world so twisted? She was thanking him! He brought her here! The girl was locked in his stone cold basement with barely anything to wear, his aunt tortured her enough to drive her to insanity, their world was crumbling and she was thanking him!

He didn't reply. He turned back around and raced up the stairs. He almost went back. Almost.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K Rowling. I'm just borrowing.**

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The next day he wasn't planning to go down there. He was planning to never go down there again. It wasn't worth it, he decided, it just wasn't. When the time came for him to deliver the food to the cellar, he went into the kitchens and asked one of the house-elves, Jiggy, to do it instead. The reply he got was very unsatisfying, "Sorry, master Draco, Bellatrix ma'am told Jiggy and the others not to ever go in there." Draco tried telling him to go anyway, but as always, his aunt's words held more power. He cursed under his breath. Then he cursed aloud. The house-elf slowly handed him the tray and walked away, frightened.

Draco glanced down at the tray; this time it was three small pears and smaller buns to go with them. He looked over at the kitchen counter to where the elves were preparing for a feast for the death eaters. If he was going to bother going down there anyways, he might as well take some decent food. He almost changed his mind. Almost.

"Jiggy," he called the elf back who began towards him reluctantly. He told him to bring in plenty of whatever they were making. The elf nodded and scurried away in a hurry. Five minutes later, Draco was in the possession of a bigger tray with roast chicken, boiled potatoes, pudding and pumpkin juice. The tray had gotten so heavy, he had to levitate it towards the cellar. As he descended the stairs, he wondered why he was trying to help them. Why did he care what happened to them? He didn't care, he told himself, this was just his way of rebelling against his aunt. He wasn't assured.

When he got to the bottom, he carefully slid the tray down into the prison cell and lighted his wand with a silent _Lumos. _Lovegood looked up immediately from where she sat. "Good afternoon," she greeted. She looked down at the tray of food in amazement, like she'd never seen anything like it before. Then she looked back at him, smiling. She opened her mouth to say something and Draco stiffened. He didn't want her thanks. Maybe she understood because she closed her mouth.

"Eat," was all Draco said. He sat down opposite the prisoners as he always did and watched as she handed out Ollivander's and Griphook's portions. There was something off about the way she was walking, she was limping more than she was yesterday but she was trying to cover it up. Draco wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been watching her. She came upon her usual spot again and crouched down to sit when her legs gave away and she toppled over sending the food from the tray flying.

Draco stood up and went closer to the bars. He stared as she struggled to sit upright and then scrambled for the food that fell. Something about that sight made his stomach drop. "Stop," he said. She stopped at once but kept her gaze low. Draco used the summoning charm to get all the food into the tray and then casted a cleansing charm on them so they wouldn't be dirt ridden. Lovegood sat there, silent tears falling from her eyes. She wiped them away with her hand and then stared at her hand in wonderment, like it was the first time she witnessed herself crying. His stomach dropped again. He never did feel comfortable seeing others cry; crying was something one did in private.

"What's wrong with your leg?" he asked her. He didn't know what had gotten over him. What did he care what happened? But he _had _put a healing spell on the girl the day before; she was supposed to get better not worse. She didn't answer; instead she slowly started picking up the food and eating. Draco fought the urge to leave. He had to take the tray back anyway, he thought.

It took a few minutes before she answered, "It's nothing," she said softly, still with her eyes trained on the ground in front of her.

Draco merely nodded. If she didn't want to tell who was he to inquire further? A few more moments later, one realization struck him. "Was it because of the healing spell? It went wrong?" he asked. He had only ever done that spell on himself before, never on another person. It's possible he might've done something wrong.

She looked at him now, strangely. "No," she shook her head slightly, "no, the spell was fine. "It's just," she took a deep breath, "they are a bit brutal…" she looked back down. _They? _Draco had thought he was the only one who came down here. Apparently not. He didn't question her any further, he understood. He lived with monsters, he hadn't forgotten, but looking down at her now, he was enraged. She didn't deserve to be a prisoner here and he didn't deserve to be a pawn.

She pushed the tray back after she was done eating, her hand was mildly shaking. He reached down and picked it up. He almost changed his mind before casting another healing spell upon her. Almost.

She looked thankful but she didn't say so for which he was grateful. He didn't deserve it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they belong to J.K Rowling**

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The day after that, he once again took extra food for the three prisoners. Lovegood seemed more at ease, cheerful even. "Hullo, Draco. How are you today?" she asked. Her easy tone confused him. She probably understood because she continued, "I don't like being sad. It's not a nice feeling, so I wanted to stop." She spoke earnestly. If Draco hadn't been so baffled he might have laughed. As usual, he slid the tray in and she picked it up and started giving it out to the other two. Draco now wondered if those two were always silent or just when he arrived. They were always sitting in the very back where he could only make out their shapes but couldn't see them clearly.

"Did you steal all this food?" she asked looking down at the compilation. Draco didn't know how to reply; he hadn't exactly stolen it, he had just asked the house-elves to give him the food. But he had also told them to tell neither his aunt nor his father about it.

He went with the laconic reply, "No."

She nodded. She sat down before speaking again. "Is there any news?" she asked, in a more hushed tone. Draco presumed she was speaking of the coming war. He wondered if he should be telling her anything. They _are _supposedly on different sides. She sat there, with an eager look in her face, no doubt hoping to hear something about Potter.

"No," he said again. Her eagerness died down and she didn't question him further about it.

"Okay," she said. About a minute later, she spoke again. "Draco?" she said his name. Why did she keep saying his name? Did she think they were friends? Draco gave her a half-hearted look of annoyance; he didn't really mind as much as he wanted to.

"What?" he asked.

"I hate your aunt," she said evenly. The words took him aback; so much that he let out a small chuckle. She smiled widely at his reaction.

"Me too." He said.

As he walked away, he almost restrained his smile. Almost.

* * *

The days after that, it was routine for Draco to ask the house-elves for whatever they were cooking to take down to the prisoners. He sat in front of them patiently until they were done eating and took the tray back. He had to admit that he didn't completely hate going down there. The minutes he spent in the cellar were his few moments of peace in this household.

The death eaters were all agitated. Potter's plan was now well known among them, he meant to destroy the pieces of the Dark Lord' s soul. Bellatrix was acting even nastier than usual, hiring Snatchers to find Potter and his cronies. And Lucius was pure desperate with the way he hung on Voldemort's every word. Draco inwardly winced at his own thoughts; did he just mention the Dark Lord by his name? The idea scared him but also gave him a small surge of satisfaction.

He glanced at his grand clock by the mantel. Another hour until he had to go deliver food. He propped himself on his bed and absentmindedly started levitating objects in the room. His thoughts kept taking him back to the dungeons. He was starting to enjoy Luna's company. His thoughts astonished him once again. He never called Lovegood by her name before. She was getting to his head.

He found himself opening up to her. She started telling him stories about her childhood, about the different (and nonexistent, Draco thought) creatures she had encountered in her life and stories about her friends in Hogwarts including Potter and the Weasley girl. She even told him of the time her mother died while doing an experiment with a stinging hex. At first, he was confounded by why she was confiding in him. Now he rather looked forward to her stories. Some of them were so bizarre he was sure she was making them up.

He was lost in his thoughts when he heard Bellatrix shout out the _Cruciatus_ curse. A scream echoed through the corridors, her muffled scream was familiar to him now. He almost stopped himself from running to the dining hall. Almost.

He found the two women in the same position he saw them once before. Bellatrix pointing her wand at her throat and Luna lying on their rug with her eyes shut. "WHERE IS POTTER?" Bellatrix yelled. Luna made no sound; she clenched her eyes harder waiting for another curse to hit her. Draco felt a great flood of sympathy towards her and an even greater flow of anger towards his aunt.

"Aunt Bella," Draco said. She snapped her neck towards him.

"What, Draco?" Bellatrix spoke with a thrill, her body still turned towards Luna but her head turned to him. Her eyes were daring, expecting a challenge.

Draco took a breath and kept up a blank face, "I doubt she knows anything," he said, gesturing to her. "She has been locked up for a month."

Bellatrix grinned at him then back at the girl, somewhat knowingly. "Let us practice on her then, Draco. Such a small little thing," she started walking towards him. She put a hand on his shoulder, "Try the _Cruciatus _on her," she said, "Let's see how much you've improved."

Draco was careful to keep his stance steady and his voice strong. "I seem to have left my wand upstairs," he lied. His wand was in the inside pocket of his robes.

Bellatrix only smiled, "Not a problem," she said, "_Accio _wand," she casted a summoning charm with her wand. Draco had put an anti-summoning charm on his wand and he told her so. He would have to remember to thank his mother for teaching him that spell and getting him on the habit of always casting it on his things. Bellatrix looked down on her own wand but didn't offer it to him, which he knew she wouldn't. Instead she turned back towards the girl on the floor.

"_Crucio," _she shouted again. Draco's stomach twisted as her body contorted. Luna's screams rung out through the halls while Draco stood there besides his aunt. He almost told her to stop. Almost.

After that little session, his aunt left him to take the girl back down. She looked at him straightly before exiting with a somewhat amused expression. He was disgusted with himself.

He looked down at the blonde girl and made a promise to himself to save her. Then shook his head as if dismissing the idea.

He wasn't a savior. He was a coward.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, the great Jo Rowling does. I'm just borrowing.**

* * *

"Are you okay?" he asked as he carried her down the stairs. She didn't answer. She was senseless. How many times had he seen her unconscious in the past month? Twice? Three times? It was appalling.

She was lighter than he expected or maybe he was stronger than he expected. Her body was very stiff and pale, he wondered if her blood was flowing. Downstairs he found the prison door already open; Bellatrix either forgot to close it or didn't bother. Most likely the latter, Draco couldn't remember the last time she forgot something. He also noticed that neither prisoner even attempted to escape while Luna was kept upstairs.

He slowly put her down on the cold floor, crouching beside her as he did. He took his wand out of his robe pocket and did a dim _Lumos _making a small ball of light appear at his wand tip. She had been wearing the same ragged dress for weeks now; it was ripped and soiled. Her hair was a frizzy jumble. There were more bruises on her arms and legs even though he had healed them earlier. She still had her eyes closed but her body started shivering a bit. He touched the floor with his hand. Merlin! It was cold.

For a minute, he thought of just leaving her here. Why did he care what happened to her? But he did. He cared.

Draco sighed. There was work to do.

He unattached the ball of light from his wand and made it hover a few feet above them. First, he put a simple heating spell on the girl so she would stop shaking. Then he moved on to healing spells, casting the ones he had mastered; there were quite a few. He was more thorough than the last time when he only cast one spell on her whole body. He started with her arms; some places were bruised purple and there were loads of small cuts wounds. When he was satisfied with the arms, he moved a few inches back to inspect her legs. They looked to be in about the same condition her arms were in. Her dress came up to her knees. He hesitated for a moment before lifting the dress and revealing her thighs. They were swollen and completely red, much worse than her arms. He cursed. He cast the same healing spells and then added a few more for good measures. What in Salazar's name happened to her?!

She gave a small sigh as soon as his spells started working. He slumped down on the floor, relieved and exhausted. Healing spells took the energy of the caster and gave it to the person receiving the spell to quicken the process. His aunt would be furious if she knew what he did; so would his father. For the first time in years, he was almost satisfied with himself. Almost.

He waited until she woke up. He didn't know why; he felt like he needed to. Not having anything else to do at the moment, he stared at her. She was decent looking, he begrudgingly noted, pretty even. She was very pale; normal considering she was stuck underground all day. Her blonde hair was a few shades darker than his own was.

Soon enough, she opened her eyes slowly, looking disoriented. She noticed the ball of light above her immediately and glanced at her side, finding Draco. She gave him a confused look, presumably wondering why he was sitting beside her. She then seemed to have realized something and stared down at her hands, flexing her muscles. A smile appeared on her face as she looked at him again. Her eyes were light grey, almost silver and they became slightly smaller when she smiled. "Did you heal me?" she asked.

Unable to speak, he nodded. She smiled even bigger. She tried to sit up, using her hands for support. She didn't get very far; her arms weren't strong enough to hold her up. Not being able to stop himself, he moved forward to help her, holding on to her shoulders. She sat upright but he didn't remove his hand from her shoulder. She didn't seem to mind.

With one of her hands, she touched her legs, professedly awestruck. "Those must've been very powerful spells," she said. Draco didn't comment. Some of the spells _were _powerful. He always had an interest in healing, principally because he himself had been the victim of many harmful spells when he was little. His father believed in cruel punishments.

"Are you okay?" he asked her again since she was unconscious the first time. He started moving back to the spot he was in before and settled in front of her.

"I'm good, Draco," she said. She reached out and took his hand in hers, surprising him. Her hand was soft and cold; she gave it a light squeeze. They both stared at their conjoined hands. "Thank you."

This time he wasn't angry because this time he almost deserved her thanks. Almost.

But almost wasn't enough.

* * *

The next day, he woke up to sounds of chaos coming from the drawing room. There was a knock at his door and he permitted whoever it was to come inside. It was one of their house-elves though he couldn't recall her name. "Mistress Narcissa has summoned Master Draco," she said faintly.

He glanced out his window. The sun hadn't even come up yet. "Why?" he asked, irritated.

"Mistress Narcissa is calling Master Draco to identify Harry Potter," the elf said, squirming and looking down at her feet.

Draco was taken aback. Identify Harry Potter? Was he here? Which meant… "They caught him? They caught Potter?"

"Mistress is calling Master Draco to make sure, sir," the elf replied.

He dismissed the elf, telling her he'll come down right away. They caught Potter. A hopeful feeling aroused inside him.

He put on his robe as swiftly as he could. He wasn't a savior, but he knew who was. If there was anyone who could help Luna escape, it would be the freaking Boy Who Lived.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I took some of these lines from the book itself because I wanted this to be as canon as possible but I changed some of the details to better fit Draco. And also I had completely forgotten that Griphook was brought in with Harry and them. Oops? :D Sorry about that, but since I already put him in the cellar, I'll leave him there. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I'm borrowing.**

* * *

He strolled downstairs, trying to look as casual as he could muster even though his heart was drumming louder than he deemed possible. The manor's corridors were dark and still. He had to do this right. Not almost right but fully right.

As he approached their drawing room, he could hear the pieces of commotion inside. He went through the side door coming across the brightly lit room; someone had lighted their large crystal chandelier. His parents were standing in front of the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Beside him stood one of the Snatchers Bellatrix had hired, Scabior was his name.

On the floor were three guys and one girl bound together. The girl sat closest to him and Draco instantly recognized her to be Granger. His mother must have heard him enter for she turned to look to her side, "They say they've got Potter," she said, looking at him. "Draco, come here."

Draco slowly walked closer to the group of bodies huddled together while trying to maintain his distance from the savage werewolf. He had witnessed the man in wolf form once, tearing out the flesh of a young girl. He knew he wouldn't be able to harm him here but the man scared him almost as much as Bellatrix did. The group was recognizable enough. Potter's face was swollen pink and his hair looked like a horse's mane, reaching his shoulder; but it didn't matter, Draco would recognize that insufferable git anywhere. Weasley was even easier to recognize; the hair and the clueless expression gave it away. He looked like he had just been punched in the face; his mouth was bloody and agape. The last addition surprised him; it was Dean Thomas, who was visibly shaking with fear. Draco wondered why he was with them; he never impressed Draco to be anything out of the ordinary.

"Well, boy?" rasped the werewolf. Draco felt his courage falter at the sound of his voice. What if things didn't work as he hoped? He instantly thought of Luna trapped down in that cold basement. He looked to his mother who seemed to know what he was doing; she always did. She gave him an encouraging nod as if saying she was siding with him no matter what. He took a silent breath; he wouldn't wither from his plan.

Lucius' voice cut through his thoughts, "Well, Draco? Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"

Draco looked down at the Chosen One again. Of course it was him, he was sure. Potter glanced at him once then quickly looked away. Draco could sense his fear and savior or not, he couldn't help but take pleasure in watching The Boy Who Lived squirm in front of him. "I can't be sure," he finally said.

Lucius was impatient and urged him to move closer. Draco reluctantly went and stood beside his father. He could sense everyone's attention on him. How in Merlin's name was he going to pull this off?

His father was examining Potter's forehead now. "There's something there," he whispered, "it could be the scar stretched tight… Draco, come here, look properly! What do you think?"

He pretended to peer at him again, "I don't know," Draco said. "I don't think it's him."

Draco felt Lucius huff beside him. He looked over to the fireplace to where Narcissa was standing to find her looking at them; he gave her the slightest nod, one he knew only she would catch. She gave him a knowing look before calling over to Lucius, "We better be sure before calling the Dark Lord. We don't want to anger him." Draco saw his father hesitate at her words; if there was one thing Lucius was terrified of, it was angering his precious master.

"What about the Mudblood, then?" growled Greyback. All eyes now fell on Granger; she looked like she wanted to shout on top of her lungs. She flinched when Greyback touched her chin and brought it up, giving the Malfoys a better view. Draco almost smirked at her discomfort. Almost. Now wasn't the time.

"She _does _look awfully familiar to the girl," said Narcissa, "but her face looks different, doesn't it, Draco?"

Draco saw what his mother was doing, trying to plant seeds of doubts into the others. He was grateful. Before he was able to reply to his mother, however, Lucius shouted beside him, "That's the Weasley boy!" He strode around the prisoners until he faced Ron. "It _IS _them! Potter's friends! Draco look!"

Draco exhaled. This wasn't working. "Yeah…it could be," he said trying to sound as vague as possible. Lucius gave him an irritated look. Draco had hoped they wouldn't be recognized so they would be put in the cellar with the other prisoners. He had to make sure Potter saw Luna somehow. Right then, his aunt walked into the drawing room with her air of authority.

"What is this? What's happening, Cissy?" her eyes immediately fell on Granger. "That's the Mudblood girl! That's Granger!"

"Yes, yes, it's Granger!" cried Lucius. "And beside her, we think, Potter! Potter and his friends, caught at last!"

Bellatrix backed away to get a better look at Potter. "The Dark Lord must be informed at once!" she shrieked. She dragged up her sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark burned into her flesh and Draco looked away. That damn mark. He hated the sight of it.

Lucius and Bellatrix started arguing about who should be the one to summon _him. _Debating about who shall receive the honor; Draco kept his eyes trained on the bounded prisoners. Potter was reaching for something to his side; it took him a few moments to realize it was a sword. A sword? He brought a freaking sword? Draco scoffed in his mind. No one used swords anymore.

"What is that?" Draco heard her say, in a quieter voice than she usually spoke.

"A sword; it's mine, I found it," one of the Snatchers squeaked. Bellatrix threw a silent stunning spell towards him knocking him to his feet.

Scabior drew his wand, "What d'you think you're playing at, woman?" His voice was steady but his hand that held the wand was shaking violently.

"Stupefy!" Bellatrix screamed, maniacally. She stunned all the remaining Snatchers and forced Greyback on his knees, paralyzing him. The man looked horrified; Draco felt no pity.

"Where did you get this sword?" Bellatrix whispered to Greyback as she pulled his wand out of his hand. When he didn't answer, she repeated her question, brandishing the sword around his face. "Where sis you find this sword? Snape sent it to my vault!"

"It was in their tent," Greyback rasped at last. Bellatrix released him from her spell.

Bellatrix turned to her sister, "The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think of what to do!"

Narcissa looked furious, "This is my house, Bella, you don't give orders in my…"

"Do it! You have no idea of the danger we are in!" For the first time in his life, Draco noticed Bellatrix looking frightened.

After a moment of hesitation, Narcissa ordered Greyback to move the prisoners down to the cellar. Draco was almost relieved. Almost. They were making progress.

Bellatrix commanded Greyback to take all prisoners except Granger. She threw him back his wand and cut Granger free from the others, dragging her by her hair to the very middle of the room. Draco remembered the first time he saw Luna; Filch was dragging her in the same manner. Greyback dragged the three prisoners down towards the cellar while Bellatrix started whispering threats to Granger. It wasn't long afterwards when Bellatrix's spells caught her and her screams started echoing through the halls. Bellatrix was questioning her about the sword. Draco had half a mind to go down to the prisoners himself to check on Luna.

Draco looked away as did his mother. He walked towards her and they stood in silence besides the fireplace, listening to her screams. Narcissa gave his shoulder a light squeeze of reassurance.

"What else did you take? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!" Bellatrix was casting the _Cruciatus _curse one after another. Granger's screams were deafening. Weasley's voice could be heard from downstairs too, pounding on the door. Draco almost pitied him at the moment. Almost.

Granger informed Bellatrix of the sword being a copy in between her lifeless breaths.

"We can find out easily!" Lucius' voice rung, "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not." Lucius looked at him, as if daring him to object.

Draco merely nodded. This had better work.


End file.
